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Monday, August 31, 2015

An Angle on Osriel Pt. II

Alorea's Greater Linnefarn & Dwarven Disputed Areas (874 CE)

885 CE: Gandarians chose this time to settle north of Linnefarn, inflicting further despair upon native tribes living there and those fleeing from the south. They established the new colony of Nav-Gandar stretching eastward from the sea shores, past the Lake of Whispers, to the Arm of the Magus, before expanding northward through the central valley.

As a fragile truce eventually prevailed, the peers of other pantheons observed with growing consternation the arrival of newcomers from the vortex. The first to react was Istra. Circa 950 CE, she inspired Talikai adventurers who secretly honored her, to establish privately-owned settlements along the Dawn Wild’s far-eastern coast. For a time they escaped Nicarean scrutiny and oppression. To consolidate their holdings, Istra negotiated with the Gate Keeper for her share of newcomers, like other gods already had on the opposite side of the Dawn Wilds. Thus did a new people settle alongside the Talikai, seafarers to be sure and explorers of fortune who soon called their strange new realm the Costa Verde, all in the name of Istra.

1030 CE: Phrydian auguries deemed auspicious a foray into Nicarean territory. Peacefully, Bongorian traders and their families travelled to the Dawn Wilds, eventually outnumbering Nicareans and their newcomer allies all along the shores south of Traders’ Cove. They brought with them the cult of Os-Othiel and, like his nearby peers, he schemed for newcomers to bolster his followers’ ranks. He attracted a proud and ebullient people who enjoyed bullfights. Though puzzled at first, the Bongorians accepted them as they too honored Os-Othiel. It wouldn’t be until the 1200s for Phrydian half-elves to become prevalent in these parts. By then, the Bongorian colony would also be better known as the Costa Brava.

1060 CE: A mere thirty years later trouble spilled over from Nav-Gandar. Fleeing the Nicarean inquisition, wizardly household moved into Alorean lands. With the elven hold on this region somewhat tenuous, Gandarians easily spread along the coast down to the foothills of the Alvern Heights, bringing with them their strange cults. Annoyed, Delathien paid dearly for another share of newcomers to help his followers hold on to this region. These were industrious ones who introduced the elves to ale and kidney pie. They called their new capital Sterlingham and named other fine places, such as Bloodstone Castle and Bickersford.

In due time, Naghilas did the same, sending newcomers to help his Gandarian followers prevail farther south. Boisterous, stylish, and determined to enjoy the good things in life, these people were prompt to call their new capital Hauteville and its waterfront the Baie des Princes. Despite bewildering and sudden changes to their neighborhood, local elves remained in the area, determined to preserve their faiths in what became known as the province of Tourneuve.

I
grew up in France (mostly), England, Morocco, Washington DC, and Texas. I speak mostly French and English, with a little Spanish, Portuguese, and German. Returning to Nice for my education, I graduated from the lycée hotelier in 1977; I got passionately interested in wargames when I was attending the Lycée ... primarily in Avalon Hill games like Kriegspiel, Luftwaffe, Third Reich, and Panzer Leader
— the classics. There were, of course, no French editions of these
games at the time, so I had to learn the American versions. I loved to travel, so I studied hotel management and worked as a concierge in both France and California.

While living in San Francisco I discovered the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, and when I returned to Paris I joined my first regular Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) group. I started writing articles on D&D and AD&D for French gaming magazine Casus Belli, and there learned that TSR
was looking for someone to translate the games into French. Well, I
spoke and wrote both languages, and I knew the games, so a request reached Gary Gygax.
By a coincidence, he was just about to come to Paris on business, and
so we set up a meeting. I must have done OK, because he offered me the
job. After a few months of doing translation work in Nice, TSR requested I move to the home office in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. For a sun-loving Mediterranean like me, Wisconsin in February was a bit of a shock.

After working for two years as a translator, I transferred to TSR's Games Division in July
1985 as an Acquisitions Coordinator, in charge of contracting
freelance writers. I also did game design, including adventure
modules CM7, Tree of Life; M1, Into the Maelstrom; and co-authorship of DL12, Dragons of Faith.

I worked on a number of products for the basic Dungeons & Dragons game, including writing the "Voyage of the Princess Ark" series for Dragon magazine, a monthly feature that lasted about three years, as well as other products for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. I was the Basic D&D line Product Manager for years, during which the beloved D&D Gazetteers and the Rules Cyclopedia were published. I also worked at TSR as the director of production planning and head of games acquisitions.

My son Noel came to this world when TSR went bankrupt. One of the outcomes of the happy event in my life was that I could not follow my colleagues to Renton, Wa, at WotC, which had salvaged most of TSR's creative team. My writing years went on hiatus while I explored other avenues. After some time at US Web near Milwaukee and United Airlines at O'Hare, I'm now back in Wisconsin to re-invent myself and do what I really want to do! This now includes the creation of the World of Calidar.